ESA Science & Technology - Animated simulation of Mars' plasma environment

Animated view of the plasma environment at Mars, with ESA's Mars Express and NASA's MAVEN spacecraft in orbit around the Red Planet.

The video starts by showing Mars and the orbits of Mars Express and MAVEN, with results and observations from LatHyS simulations appearing later. The simulated plasma flow vectors (green arrows) are compared to solar wind flow measurements (blue arrows) along spacecraft tracks. Simulated 2D maps of the plasma flow in the XY and XZ Mars-centred planes complement the scene, where the X axis points towards the Sun; these maps illustrate different regions and boundaries around the planet, including the bow shock.

This animation was obtained using the LatHyS set of plasma simulations and the 3DView visualization tool, which were developed as part of the Integrated Medium for Planetary Exploration (IMPEx).